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The Chronicle featured the property in the May 27 "Something Different," which appeared after the Kallmanns already were in escrow.

"We were glad we had already bought the house," Sophia said. "Otherwise, someone else might have seen it."

The Kallmanns offered $2.65 million, $150,000 above the asking price, and beat two other offers. They had the floors refinished before they moved in, then installed a new sprinkler system and cleaned up the landscaping, installing a new front gate.

They also resolved to preserve the historic integrity of the house, which was designed by William Schirmer and built in 1929 for Harvey and Maud Sorenson. Voice coach Adelaide Kovacs, known as Judy Davis, and her husband, former tennis star Frank Kovacs, bought the property in 1964.

"Look at this workmanship," Kallmann said, running his hands along the thick, smooth-fitting stile of the French doors. He pointed to the grain in the wood floors, the thickness of the walls.

When he was cleaning the property, Kallmann, president of an apparel company, found a statuary garden near the pond.

"There were 10 or 12 statues out there, so we're trying to figure out what to do with those and how to uncover them," he said.

"Who knows what else we're going to uncover?" Sophia said.

The Kallmanns made a perfect match for the heirs of the Judy Davis estate, one of the properties showcased in The Chronicle's "Something Different" feature this year.

But when it comes to other historic, unusual and/or high-end real estate, buyers don't necessarily come so easily. .

SOLD!

Follow-up calls indicated that only three other "Something Differents" featured through August have new owners. These are:

-- The Cedar Mansion Bed and Breakfast, at 531 Second St. East, Sonoma, featured May 13. New owners Dan and Michelle Skaff declined, through dual agent Ingrid Weiss, to be interviewed, but Weiss said the Skaffs are making the recently restored mansion and guest house their home for themselves and their three boys, ages 7 and under. The bed and breakfast is closed.

The Skaffs - Dan is managing partner of Sienna, a technology venture capitalist, and chairman of the board for MobileStar Network Corp. - moved in Aug. 17. Asking price was $4.5 million; records show the Skaffs spent $4.3 million.

-- The Joy Luck House, 180 Manchester St., San Francisco, which was featured in the movie "Joy Luck Club" (April 29 edition) and was on the market for $1.3 million.

Escrow closed July 9 on the unusual Modernist home high above the city in Bernal Heights. It drew only one serious offer and sold at the asking price.

Buyer's agent Joe Lucier said the house was bought by Rod and Sue Bushnell. Lucier described them as a San Francisco lawyer and his wife, who is retired from the school system. They're downsizing, he said.

"They had sold a house on Telegraph Hill, a 5,000-square-foot building, and bought this one (2,015 square feet)," Lucier said.

-- A shift in the selling price encouraged Michael and Sara Curran of Oakland to buy the 1936 Orinda home built for conservationist William Penn Mott Jr. (March 25 edition).

Originally priced at $1.125 million, the home, on a secluded lot at 62 Ardilla Way, drew no acceptable offers when it was marketed in March.

"It was all about pricing," said real estate agent Patricia Scott. "We took the house off the market and re-offered it (April 25) at a reduced price of $995,000. Three days later it was sold for an offer of $1,070,000."

-- There are four offers pending on one of Woodside's most elegantly renovated pre-World War II mansions, the 12,000-square-foot Moore Road estate featured Jan. 14.

The asking price is $16.5 million, down from the original $25 million sought in January. "The first price was well within the high economy bubble early this year," said Tom Hilligoss, the listing agent. "The reduced price is a reflection of the post-bubble economy."

Owners Gary and Sonja Hirsch bought the property five years ago and completely renovated the home and the 6.62-acre grounds. .

LANGUISHING

Most of the "Something Differents," however, are still on the market. These include:

-- A little-used South of Market townhouse is still on the market for $5.8 million. The four-story building at 345 Folsom St. also is being offered as two separate units, said listing agent Betty Brachman.

Robert Bernard, then CEO of March First, a technology consulting firm, bought the property two years ago.

-- The Edwardian gem at 2151 Green St., San Francisco, went on the market in mid-July for $7.95 million. It's on a quarter-acre hillside lot and has an elevator to take people into the house from street level. (July 15 edition, agent: Tom Kearney, (415) 447-8119).

-- The Julia Morgan house at 15 Brown Court in Petaluma, which went on the market in June at $1.25 million and has since been reduced to $1,075,000. (Aug.

5 edition, agent: Peg King, (707) 769-4328.) .

RETOOLING

Some of the "Something Differents" that languished on the market were taken off for tweaking or maybe just a step back. These include:

-- The 1922 Pacific Heights home and cottage, part of the Brooks family compound in the 1700 block of Vallejo Street, was offered for sale at $1,995, 000 in January.

"We had lots of interest," said owner Warren Wagner, "but the problem was our home has no off-street parking, no garage. Our real estate agent suggested we not let it get stale and to take it off the market."

Wagner and his wife, Karen, are studying ways to build a garage into the front of the property.

Wagner also noted that "we're in the middle of a market change," and that might have had an effect on homes in this price range.

(Jan. 21 edition, agent: Mike and Lea Ann Fleming, (415) 351-4663.)

-- The former Gump family retirement home, a restored Victorian at 3014 Washington St., San Francisco, was on the market for several months and then removed as the high-end market softened earlier this summer. The owner isn't certain how he'll proceed. (June 10 edition, agent: Eileen Cronin, (415) 229- 1239.)

-- The Tobin Clark estate at 40 Verbalee Lane, Hillsborough, was listed for $45 million through May, then was taken off the market. Now it's back on the market, still listed at $45 million. (May 20 edition, agent: Joel Goodrich, (415) 229-1374.)